Adjustable bench stop



Oct. 9, 1951 J, MlCHELl I Y 2,571,050

ADJUSTABLE BENCH STOP Filed April 5, 1948 III/III/I/II/II/ INVENTORY dose 4/. Mal/Eu B Y r I ArroeA/Ey Patented Oct. 9, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT 7 OFFICE 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a stop or work-retaining device for use on a bench such as is used by a carpenter or mechanic, and has as an object the provision of a simple, effective, and easily manipulated stop against which pieces of work material may be abutted during such operations as planing, gauging, chiseling, or filing, in which it is desired to hold the work material stationary against a pressure having a horizontal component.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stop which may be permanently secured to a bench and may be adjusted to an abutting position when in use and to a position flush with or below the bench surface when not in use so as not to interfere with the use of the bench for other work.

Another object of the invention is to provide a stop which may be held by friction of its parts in either of the above-described positions and so is free of catches, ratchets, or threaded devices requiring manipulation to hold it in or release it from said position, and which may be moved from one of said positions to the other by simple pressure on the abutting member.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a stop which may be easily adjusted to abut a piece of work material at any selected height above the surface of the bench within the limits of the stops adjustability.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of my invention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the showing made by the said drawings and description, as I may adopt variations of the preferred forms within the scope of my invention as set forth in the claim.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a stop embodying the principles of this invention, shown installed in a work bench, the bench being shown in section to illustrate the manner of installation.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the stop shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, the plane of section being indicated by the lines 33 of Figure 2, with the direction of view as indicated.

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view, the plane of section being indicated by the lines 44 of Fi ure 3, with the direction of view as indicated.

Specifically describing that embodiment of my invention which has been chosen for illustration and description herein, my adjustable bench stop comprises a plate 6 which may be countersunk in a suitable depression I partly surrounding a slot 8 in a bench 9 so that the upper surface In of the plate is flush with the upper surface ll of the bench. The plate 6 is provided with countersunk holes 12 at its corners for securing the plate in the depression 1 by such means as screws 13.

Extending downwardly from the plate 6 are spaced parallel ears or lugs l4 which may extend through the slot 8 to a position below the bench.

A dog I5 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 16 between the ears l4 and has a hub portion H, a short rearward arm l8 extending sharply upwardly towards the plate 6, and a longer forward arm [9 extending upwardly to a more gradual inclination and forwardly to a position beyond the plate 6. The distal end of the arm l9has a head 2|! with a flat upper surface 2| and a forward margin 22 which may be tapered outwardly to a horizontal edge and indented to form teeth 23. The slot 8 also extends forwardly of the plateli to permit the head 20 to reach and rise abovethe upper surface ll of the bench 9. The relative length and angulation of the arms l8 and I9 is such that when the surface 2i of the head 20 is flush with the surface ll] of the plate 6, the arm [8 comes into contact with the under side of the plate 6 and prevents further depression of the surface 2 I.

Upward disposition of the surface 2| above the surface I0 is adjustably controlled by a set screw 24 in the late 5, which makes contact with a shoulder 25 on the arm 19. The set screw 24 is preferably threaded in a thickened portion or lug 26 on the plate 6 so that it may have adequate threaded engagement with the plate and a substantial range of adjustabilit without at any time extending above the surface It).

To retain the dog IS in any position between the limits imposed by contact of the arm l8 with the plate 6 or contact of the set screw 24 with the shoulder 25, a friction braking device is provided, as indicated generally at 21, reactive between the hub portion I! of the dog l5 and one of the ears l4. Preferably the hub portion I! has a bore 28 extending parallel to the shaft l6 and enclosing a compression spring 29 and partly enclosing a friction member 30, which may be a disc or plug slidably fitting in the bore 28. The friction member 30 is pressed by the spring 29 into frictional engagement with the inner surface of the adjacent ear. M to provide a light braking action on movement of the dog l5. It

"to prevent side slippage.

will be understood that the bore 28 might extend through the hub portion I! and have friction members at each of its ends, but I have found that one friction member provides adequate braking.

To place my adjustable bench stop in active position, it is only necessary to pull upwardly with the tip of a finger on the arm I9 so as to raise the margin 22 of the head 20 above the bench surface II, as shown in broken lines in Figure 1. Finger pressure will sufiice to overcome the braking of the friction member 30, which will thereafter hold the head-2|! in raised position. A piece of Work material, such asa block of wood, indicated at 3| in Figure 1, may then be placed on the surface H of "theibe'nch with one margin in abutment with the margin 22 of the head 20. Pressure of a tool on the work material in the direction of the head 20 will tend to, cause the teeth 23 to engage the work material The height at which the margin 22 engages the work material may be regulated by adjustment of the set screw 24.

The margin 22 may be lowered to the level of the bench surface H by finger pressure on the surface 2|, and the arm l8 will stop this lowering movement when the surfaces It, II, and 2| are 'fiush.

Carpenters and mechanics may arrange the slots 8 in their benches to suit their own convenience and ideas. If the portion of the slot 8 extending forwardly of the plate 6 is no larger than is required to accommodate the head 20, the surface 2| will close the slot when the head is depressed and will prevent loss of small objects, such as bolts and nuts, through the slot. A carpenter may prefer to have the slot 8 longer than the head 20, as illustrated, and drill a hole through the bench in order to provide an opening through which chips and shavings from the work material may fall and thus prevent clogging up.

I claim:

A bench stop for use with a work bench having a slot to receive said bench stop, comprising a plate, means for securing said plate to said work bench so as to leave exposed a portion of said slot, spaced ears depending from said plate adjacent one end thereof into said slot, a dog pivotally mounted between said ears for movement in a vertical plane, said dog having a first arm extending beyond the opposite end of said plate into the exposed portion of said slot and inclined so that its distal end may emerge upwardly from said slot, a head on said distal end, work-engaging means on the edge of said head remote from said plate whereby pressure of work-material against said engaging means urges said dog to rotate about its axis of pivotal connection to said plate in that direction in which said head would rise higher above said plate, a second arm on said dog extending oppositely to said first arm and inclined upward to engage said plate when said first arm is depressed so as to then limit the depresslon of said first arm, a set screw threaded in said plate and engageable with said first arm adjacent the distal end thereof to regulate the height to which said distal end may extend above said plate, and a spring-urged friction member between the adjacent surfaces of the hub portion of said dog and one of said ears. JOSEPH U. MICHELI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 458,187 Purssell Aug. 25, 1891 982,716 Gooch Jan. 24, 1911 2,022,013 Thomas Nov. 26, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 230,138 Great Britain Mar. 9, 1925 

